Ramaco Resources broke ground Friday on the Brook Mine outside Ranchester, Wyoming, the first rare-earth mine to be developed in the United States since the 1950s. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Governor Mark Gordon and members of the state’s congressional delegation attended the ceremony, underscoring Washington’s push to secure domestic supplies of critical minerals. Geological studies estimate the deposit contains about 1.7 million tons of rare-earth oxides—enough to produce six of the 17 commercially valuable elements, including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium used in wind-turbine magnets, electric-vehicle batteries, semiconductors and military guidance systems. A consultant report released this week put the combined cost of fully developing the mine and an on-site processing plant at roughly $500 million, a sum the company believes could be recouped within five years. Wyoming has approved a $6.1 million grant toward the processing facility. Ramaco plans to extract the minerals and process them in-state, marketing both the rare-earth concentrates and the residual coal. The project is also Wyoming’s first new coal mine in five decades, repurposing coal seams to concentrate metals rather than supply power plants. Former U.S. senator Joe Manchin, now on Ramaco’s board, joined officials at the launch. Brook Mine’s development is intended to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign supplies. China currently provides about 70 percent of U.S. rare-earth imports and nearly 90 percent of global production, while Mountain Pass in California remains the nation’s only operating rare-earth facility. The Wyoming project would give the United States a second domestic source once production starts.